White bean + chicken salad with artichoke, parm, & cucumber

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If you haven’t heard, California still thinks it’s summer.

It’s been 85 + degrees here, hot, dry, and just perfect for the beach- not the pumpkin patch. While desperately longing to wrap myself in cozy scarves and whip up hot chocolate, I’m fanning my neck and rehydrating with iced tea.

Needless to say, we’re still in salad season here. I’m craving light and satisfying lunches: salads with a protein + veggies + greens. Continue reading “White bean + chicken salad with artichoke, parm, & cucumber”

Why we (still) need to rethink our value and identity as women

 

womanhood

Have you ever noticed that even in most Disney movies that glorify a strong female character, the story inevitably ends in a marriage?

She’s defeated warriors (Mulan) and saved lives (Frozen), but the plot isn’t really complete until she’s found a husband, presumably with whom she will have many, many babies.

Please hear me: the desire to be married is beautiful and God-given, and should never be looked down upon, in a man or a woman. But what I take issue with is the idea that a person- specifically a woman- is somehow incomplete until she’s entered into marital union, and then, given birth.

For the majority of human history, in most every time and place, a woman’s value has been defined by her ability to bear children. You can imagine what this has meant for millions of females over the centuries who have remained single, or remained unable to conceive: extreme pain, loss of identity, powerlessness, despair.

We like to think that things have changed—but have they really? Continue reading “Why we (still) need to rethink our value and identity as women”

Stepping out of survival mode

stepping out of survival mode

If you happen to live in a first world, Westernized city/state/country, chances are you may feel overwhelmed much of the time. Especially in major metropolitan areas in the U.S., the culture is focused on a lot of –ing words: doing more, working harder, feeling better, looking hotter.

Having grown up in this culture, I appreciate its drive and thrust towards progress, but it’s also a culture of near-unattainable ambitions and intense pressure. It can cause us to feel never enough—never successful enough, never hot enough, never healthy enough. It can cause us to build schedules and lives that help us to feel like we’re striving towards those expectations, even as we remain out of touch with what really brings us joy and fulfillment. Continue reading “Stepping out of survival mode”

Pumpkin maca malt with almond butter + granola

pumpkin maca malt

Let me be clear here, I am not the first girl to jump on the pumpkin-everything bandwagon, once September 1st drops.

Normally I complain to everyone about how the pumpkin-butternut squash-fall-everything craze is one big marketing ploy to make all of America purchase PSL lattes in 85 degree weather and pretend Christmas is coming.

And here I am, wearing shorts and a tanktop and sipping my pumpkin maca malt, flavored not just with pumpkin spice but with actual pumpkin puree. Continue reading “Pumpkin maca malt with almond butter + granola”